VUSM 160:001 Franciscan
Values & Tradition 100:008 (PDF
Version)
“Shaking Words:
Examining Franciscan Virtues through Young Adult Literature”
Fall 2012 -- T
Th 12:30 – 1:40 p.m. MC 418
Grant T. Smith, Ph.
D.
MC 533; Phone 3485; Email:
gtsmith@viterbo.edu
Office Hours: MWF 3
p.m. – 4 p.m. T Th 10 a.m. – 12 noon
Course Description
In this seminar on Franciscan Values and Traditions, we will
examine five Franciscan virtues through the lens of contemporary Young Adult
Literature and the narratives of Saint Francis.
I will pair the Franciscan narratives and Young Adult Literature with
five Franciscan values. The award-winning
books and the St. Francis narratives address the questions, challenges, and
truths embedded in Viterbo University’s goal to teach hospitality, integrity,
contemplation, stewardship, and service.
Course Objectives and Student
Learning Outcomes
Viterbo University was founded in 1890 by the Franciscan
Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. This entry-level seminar examines that heritage
and what it means to be and behave like a Franciscan. These courses will
use the works of Saints Francis, Clare, and Rose of Viterbo as a foundation for
exploring the university’s core values of hospitality, integrity,
contemplation, stewardship, and service.
Franciscan Traditions and Values
Student Learning Outcomes
·
Students
will compare, contrast, and consider Franciscan values, Viterbo core values,
and disciplinary values.
·
Students
will consider how these values compare and contrast to their own personal
values and other value systems.
Course Topics
In this seminar we shall ask the following questions:
- How do I contribute to
others’ care?
- How can I establish and
maintain an authentic self?
- How do I recognize and
emulate ethical leadership?
- How can I learn from and
contribute to diverse communities?
- How can I recognize
goodness?
Course Texts:
When Things Come Back by John Corey Whiley
·
World
without Fish by Mark Kurlansky
·
The
Book Thief by Markus Zusak
·
Marcelo in the
Real World
by Francisco Stork
Godless by Pete Hautman
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman
Alexie
Francis of Assisi and His World by Mark Galli
Secondary Texts:
The Lessons of St.
Francis: How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life by
John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey
Easy Writer: A Pocket
Reference by Andrea A. Lunsford
Attendance Policy
Students who have three or fewer absences during the
semester will receive 100 points. Students who have four to six absences will
receive 60 points. Any student who has more than six absences will be asked to
withdraw from the course.
Revising Policy
Students will be allowed to revise the journal entries.
Course Work
Requirements:
- Two formal essays (midterm
and final)
- Class Participation and
Attendance
Evaluation
Criteria:
- The students’
comprehension of the texts we read through their participation in class and
their journal responses.
- The students’ writing
communication skills will be evaluated through their journal responses and
their formal essays. Rubrics will
be provided as guides for appropriate journal responses and formal essays.
- The students’ class participation will be evaluated through their
oral presentations at the end of the semester. A rubric will be provided as a guide for
an appropriate presentation.
Course Grading:
I
have only four requirements of you this semester. If you do all of them, you will receive an A,
if you don’t, then you will receive something less than an A. The first
requirement is steady attendance. If you have three or fewer unexcused
absences during the semester, then you will satisfy the “A” component for attendance.
If you have four or five unexcused absences, then you will satisfy the “B”
component and will not receive a grade higher than AB. If you have six or
more unexcused absences, then you will satisfy the “D” component and you will
not receive a grade higher than C. The second requirement is an electronic
journal. Please submit three responses (three-to-five typed pages) to the
literature we read. Send the entry as a MICROSOFT WORD attachment to gtsmith@viterbo.edu
The responses should reflect a thoughtful and analytic reading of one or more
of the texts we have read. One response
should be early in the semester. The
second response should be at the mid-term, and the third essay should be near
the conclusion of the semester. Please
submit during the final exam week an extended essay (five-to-seven pages) that
includes an explication of a common theme we have discussed this semester. You should include at least two works in the
analysis. You may use research in this
extended essay. If you don’t keep the journal entries current,
thoughtful, and clear then you may have to be satisfied with something less
than an A. If the entry isn’t acceptable, I will ask you specific
questions and give you a deadline for the response; and, I will direct you to
descriptions of good college writing. The last requirement is to read the
assigned texts. Of course you will have to read in order to
write. Occasionally you will be asked to read material not on the
course text list. This may seem like a lot of reading, but you are
college students and you are expected to be well read! Also, you should
leave Viterbo with a liberal arts education, and you can’t do that if you don’t
read—a lot! And remember, you don’t have any exams or quizzes for this
class!
Students
in the Franciscan Traditions and Values Seminar are strongly encouraged to attend events and speakers directly related
to the course.
To
make this assignment experiment work, all of you will have to keep up with the
syllabus because it may change from day to day. The syllabus is a
narrative. I am talking to you through the syllabus, and so I want you to
talk back to me and your peers.
Click
here for a site on how to get an A on a formal essay. Look at this site often, especially
when you are asked to write a formal essay for a journal assignment. We
shall go over this rubric and others in class.
Students with
Disabilities
It is the policy of Viterbo
University to comply with the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with
Disabilities Act and regulations issued there in to the extent applicable
to Viterbo University.
Any student who has a documented, diagnosed disability and
requires specific accommodations should:
- Contact
and meet with Jane Eddy, ADA Coordinator, Murphy Center 332, or call
608-796-3194
- Request
a copy of the Viterbo University guidelines applying to non-discrimination
on the basis of disability and the application form.
- Complete
the appropriate application for accommodations.
The learning center provides
services to students who have indicated that they have a disability. Special
arrangements or accommodations are only provided to those students who have
documentation on file that describes and certifies the disability and indicates
services needed.
Course Schedule
Weeks One and Two:
August 29, September 4, Opening Social–5:15 p.m.,
September
5 (Labor Day)
Introduction: Defining Terms
Values—Ethics—Morals--Goals
Traditions—Habits—Rituals
Good—Virtue—Bad—Sin—Expedient
Individual—Community
Critical Thinking
Meeting St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Rose of Viterbo
PowerPoint Presentation:
“St. Francis and the 21st Century”
Critical Thinking Exercises
Begin reading The Book Thief
Read Francis of Assisi
and His World, Introduction, Chapters 1, 2, 3.
Weeks Three and Four:
September 12, 19
Unit One: Hospitality—welcoming everyone we encounter
as an honored guest
Texts:
Read The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Read “Hospitality
in the Franciscan Tradition: A Distinctive Ethical Vision and Practice” by Rick
Kyte, Ph. D.
The Book Thief Discussion Questions
What does it mean to be a part of a relationship? What is my role in a friendship, in a family,
in a class, in a university, in a neighborhood, in a religion?
Weeks Five and Six: September 26, October 3 (Feast Day of St.
Francis, October 4)
Unit Two: Integrity—striving for honesty in everything
we say and do
How do I create and demonstrate trust and respect for myself
and for others?
Read Francis of Assisi
and His World, Chapters 4, 5, 6
Texts:
Marcelo in the
Real World
by Francisco Stork
Marcelo in the Real World Discussion
Questions
Weeks Seven and Eight: October 10, 17
Unit Three: Contemplation—reflecting upon the presence of
God in our lives and work
What is my relationship with God? How does my perception of God define my
“self”?
Texts:
Read Godless by
Pete Hautman
Godless Discussion Questions
Read Francis of Assisi
and His World, Chapters 7, 8, 9
Midterm Exam
Weeks Nine and Ten: October 24, 31
Unit Four: Stewardship—practicing responsible use of all
resources in our trust
What do I learn about myself and others as I move from one
community to another? How do I serve
other communities? How do I include
environmental communities in my awareness of others?
Texts:
World without Fish by
Mark Kurlansky
Power Point Presentation World
without Fish
Weeks Eleven and Twelve:
November 7, 14
Unit Five: Service—working for the common good in the
spirit of humility and joy
What are my responsibilities in a world community?
Texts:
Where Things Come Back
by John Corey Whiley
Read Francis of Assisi
and His World, Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13
Weeks Thirteen and Fourteen:
November 21, 28 (Thanksgiving, November 23–25)
Discussion Francis of
Assisi and His World—“Am I a Franciscan?”
Week Fifteen: December
5
Texts:
Read The Absolutely
True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by
Sherman Alexie
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time
Indian Discussion Questions
PowerPoint Presentation “Sherman Alexie”
Week Sixteen
Final Oral Exam